Uninsured by Income

Definition

Ratio of the uninsured rate of the population in the top household income quintile to the population in the bottom household income quintile under age 65, 2011.

Calculated by dividing the higher value by the lower value, i.e. the uninsured rate of the population in the top household income quintile divided by the population in the bottom household income quintile. Income quintiles are calculated at the state level, and the income thresholds used to define quintiles can be found here.

A ratio of 1 indicates perfect equality; the higher the ratio, the greater the inequality. For example, the uninsured rate for people in the bottom income bracket in Nebraska is 6.1 times higher than for people in the top income bracket.

Description

The uninsured are often one serious illness or accident away from financial insecurity, and those with the lowest income face the greatest risk of being uninsured. Individuals with low incomes are often working in low-wage jobs that do not provide health insurance, leaving many without coverage or the ability to pay for health care. This measure provides an indication of the disparity in the rate of being uninsured between the low-income population and individuals with higher income levels.

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Uninsured by Income

State	Uninsured Rate, Top Quintile (%)	Uninsured Rate, Bottom Quintile (%)	Ratio	Rank
United States	8.3%	29.0%	3.5
Alabama	8.7%	27.6%	3.2	16
Alaska	14.2%	26.6%	1.9	2
Arizona	12.2%	30.4%	2.5	7
Arkansas	9.7%	30.6%	3.2	15
California	9.1%	30.3%	3.3	22
Colorado	6.2%	31.3%	5.0	48
Connecticut	3.3%	18.2%	5.6	49
Delaware	7.4%	17.3%	2.3	4
District of Columbia	6.6%	10.3%	1.6	1
Florida	13.5%	37.2%	2.7	9
Georgia	11.4%	36.3%	3.2	17
Hawaii	4.9%	17.8%	3.6	30
Idaho	9.3%	32.2%	3.5	27
Illinois	6.2%	26.4%	4.2	40
Indiana	8.7%	29.8%	3.4	24
Iowa	4.8%	21.5%	4.5	44
Kansas	6.5%	31.4%	4.9	47
Kentucky	8.8%	27.5%	3.1	14
Louisiana	13.7%	29.3%	2.1	3
Maine	5.1%	21.6%	4.2	39
Maryland	6.0%	21.9%	3.6	31
Massachusetts	2.2%	7.7%	3.4	25
Michigan	6.6%	23.2%	3.5	29
Minnesota	4.2%	19.6%	4.7	45
Mississippi	11.9%	32.1%	2.7	8
Missouri	7.8%	30.3%	3.9	35
Montana	10.8%	33.7%	3.1	13
Nebraska	4.5%	27.7%	6.1	51
Nevada	11.8%	44.1%	3.7	32
New Hampshire	4.3%	25.0%	5.8	50
New Jersey	6.6%	28.2%	4.3	41
New Mexico	13.5%	32.1%	2.4	5
New York	7.1%	17.5%	2.5	6
North Carolina	7.3%	30.4%	4.2	38
North Dakota	6.4%	25.2%	3.9	36
Ohio	5.9%	23.9%	4.1	37
Oklahoma	11.5%	36.9%	3.2	18
Oregon	8.7%	28.7%	3.3	19
Pennsylvania	6.6%	20.1%	3.1	12
Rhode Island	6.8%	20.4%	3.0	10
South Carolina	9.3%	32.6%	3.5	28
South Dakota	6.0%	26.5%	4.4	42
Tennessee	8.5%	28.8%	3.4	23
Texas	11.7%	38.8%	3.3	20
Utah	8.5%	32.3%	3.8	33
Vermont	3.9%	11.9%	3.0	11
Virginia	5.9%	28.5%	4.8	46
Washington	6.6%	29.7%	4.5	43
West Virginia	8.8%	29.1%	3.3	21
Wisconsin	5.5%	21.2%	3.9	34
Wyoming	8.8%	30.3%	3.5	26

Source

2011 American Community Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, 2012.